Fresh Plan Forge workbench with tools laid out beside an unlit anvil, ready for first-time setup
Quickstart · Step 1 of 3

Install

Zero to pforge smith green in 10 minutes.

This is the fast path. For full options (polyglot presets, multi-agent adapters, updating) see Chapter 3: Installation.

⚡ EASY BUTTON Skip the manual steps, paste one prompt and your AI installs everything

Open Copilot Chat (Agent Mode), Claude Code, or Cursor inside your project, paste this prompt. The AI reads AGENT-SETUP.md, detects your stack, runs setup, customizes the files, and validates. Zero manual steps.

Paste into any AI chat, Copilot, Claude, Cursor, Codex
Clone https://github.com/srnichols/plan-forge into a temporary directory. Read its AGENT-SETUP.md file completely and follow the instructions exactly:

1. Scan THIS project's root directory and auto-detect the tech stack from marker files (*.csproj = dotnet, go.mod = go, package.json + tsconfig.json = typescript, pom.xml = java, pyproject.toml = python, *.bicep = azure-iac). If multiple stacks exist, combine them.

2. Detect which AI tool is running this prompt and set the -Agent flag:
   - GitHub Copilot → -Agent copilot (default, can omit)
   - Claude Code → -Agent claude
   - Cursor → -Agent cursor
   - Codex CLI → -Agent codex
   - Not sure → -Agent all (installs all agent formats)

3. Run the Plan Forge setup script non-interactively:
   .\setup.ps1 -Preset <detected> -Agent <detected-agent> -ProjectPath "." -ProjectName "<this folder name>" -Force

4. After setup completes, customize the generated files:
   - Edit .github/copilot-instructions.md with this project's actual name, tech stack, build/test/lint commands, and architecture
   - If CLAUDE.md was generated, verify it looks correct
   - Edit docs/plans/DEPLOYMENT-ROADMAP.md with a first phase placeholder

5. Run .\pforge.ps1 smith to inspect the forge and confirm all checks pass.

6. If pforge-mcp/server.mjs was installed, run: cd pforge-mcp && npm install (activates the forge MCP tools).

7. If specs/ or memory/constitution.md exist (Spec Kit project), note that Step 0 will auto-detect and offer to import them.

8. Call forge_capabilities to verify all tools are available and discover workflows, config options, and OpenBrain memory integration.

9. Show me a summary of what was installed and any issues found.

Works with GitHub Copilot (Agent Mode), Claude Code, Cursor, Codex CLI, or any AI tool with terminal access. Prefer the manual steps? Scroll down ↓

1. Check Prerequisites

What you need depends on how you'll drive Plan Forge. Three of the four prerequisites are universal; Node.js is only needed when you want the dashboard, MCP server, or REST API.

ToolMinimumCheckRequired for
Git2.30+git --versionEveryone, required by setup, all CLI commands, and version-aware features.
VS Code (or Insiders)1.99+code --versionUI path, prompts, agents, skills, and the Copilot integration all live inside VS Code.
GitHub Copilot extensionActive subscriptionCopilot icon in status barUI path, powers the chat prompts and the hardening pipeline.
Node.js18+node --versionCLI / server path, needed for the dashboard, the MCP server, pforge.ps1 / pforge.sh, and the 102 tools. Skip if you'll only use prompts + instructions + agents inside Copilot Chat.
OpenBrain (optional, recommended)Latestpforge brain hintL3 semantic memory (PostgreSQL + pgvector). Unlocks Reflexion lessons, Auto-skills, cross-project Federation, and 28 auto-capturing tools. Use the Plan-Forge-tuned fork at srnichols.github.io/OpenBrain; the upstream OpenBrain has been modified to align with Plan Forge's hub schema and Hallmark provenance. See Chapter 21: Memory Architecture for how it wires into .forge.json, the dashboard, and the three-tier model.
Two paths, one setup. The setup.ps1 / setup.sh wizard runs in either path. If Node.js isn't installed, it skips the MCP server scaffold and still wires up the prompts, instructions, agents, and skills inside .github/.

2. Clone & Run Setup

One command gets you from zero to a fully configured forge:

PowerShell (Windows)
git clone https://github.com/srnichols/plan-forge.git my-forge
cd my-forge
.\setup.ps1 -Preset <your-stack>
Bash (macOS / Linux)
git clone https://github.com/srnichols/plan-forge.git my-forge
cd my-forge
chmod +x setup.sh && ./setup.sh --preset <your-stack>
Adding to an existing project? Clone alongside it, then point setup at your repo:
.\setup.ps1 -ProjectPath ../my-app -Preset typescript

3. Pick Your Preset

Replace <your-stack> with one of these nine presets:

🟣
dotnet
C# · ASP.NET · xUnit
🟡
typescript
Node.js · Express · Vitest
🐍
python
FastAPI · Pytest
☕
java
Spring Boot · Maven
🔵
go
Standard Library · Cobra
🦀
rust
Tokio · Axum · Cargo
🍎
swift
SwiftUI · Vapor · XCTest
🐘
php
Laravel · PHPUnit
☁️
azure-iac
Bicep · Terraform · azd

4. Verify with pforge smith

Run the Smith diagnostic to confirm everything is green:

PowerShell
.\pforge.ps1 smith
Expected output
Environment:
  ✓ git 2.44.0
  ✓ code 1.99.0
  ✓ PowerShell 7.5.0
  ✓ node 22.3.0

Setup Health:
  ✓ .forge.json valid
  ✓ 21 instruction files
  ✓ 19 agent definitions

  Results:  10 passed  |  0 failed  |  0 warnings
Got failures? Each check includes a FIX: suggestion inline. Most common: add "chat.agent.enabled": true to .vscode/settings.json. See Troubleshooting for more.
✓ Installation complete! You're set up. Continue to Step 2: Your First Plan →